Iran sends two warships to Oman aimed Gulf dispute

The Iranian Navy has dispatched two warships on a mission to Oman, local media report, and will enter international waters.

“An Iranian naval flotilla will depart to Oman on Sunday and then will go to the north of the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden,” the public relations of the naval forces of the army said in a statement published on the Tasnim news agency.

The 47th flotilla, comprised of an Alborz destroyer and Bushehr logistic warship, set sail from the southern port city of Bandar Abbas after a ceremony attended by naval commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the statement added.

The Gulf of Aden, which lies between the Horn of Africa and the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a strategic shipping lane which connects the Indian ocean with the Red Sea and Suez Canal.

At the same time, the 46th flotilla, made up of a Sabalan destroyer and Lavan logistic warship, is due to return to Iran on Sunday after completing a two-month mission to secure naval routes and protect merchant vessels and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden.

The Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols of the region since November 2008 as part of international anti-piracy efforts.